This invention relates to pneumatic delivery systems. More particularly, the invention relates to pneumatic delivery systems which require a container traveling in the system to traverse sharp bends or corners.
Pneumatic delivery systems include delivery conduits through which delivery containers travel from a dispatch point to a receiving point. The containers are moved through the delivery conduit by the action of pneumatic pressure which is usually provided by a blower and/or vacuum system.
In many applications it is desirable to dispose the delivery conduit in such a manner that it includes sharp bends. Such travel paths have been made possible by the development of the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,761,039, issued to Hazell. In the Hazell system, a delivery container is pneumatically propelled through a first conduit to a capsule disposed within a second conduit. With the container in place the pneumatic pressure forces the capsule through the second conduit to a receiving station. This is all done without any moving valves.
The term "capsule" is used herein to denote a carrier different from that which contains the item to be transported. The term "delivery container" denotes the carrier which contains the transported item whether it be a document or the like or a physical object such as a retail sale item.
External piping is necessary in the Hazell system due to the reversibility feature of the system. However, not all systems require this feature. A genuine need has developed for a "one way" system which can be constructed less expensively than reversible systems such as those disclosed by Hazell.
It would be advantageous in some systems if the container were automatically propelled out of the capsule when the capsule reaches the receiving station. This would relieve the operator or customer of having to reach into the capsule to remove the container. Another need which has developed in this industry is the facilitation of automatic cushioning at points in the system where the container changes direction. This would not only increase the life of such systems and decrease maintenance, but would broaden the use of pneumatic systems into fields previously thought inapplicable due to characteristically turbulent passage through such systems.